The map above shows New Jersey and South Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
New Jersey vs South Dakota Geography
Land area
- New Jersey has a land area of 7,355 square miles (19,049 km²), while South Dakota has 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²).
- South Dakota's land area is 10.3 times larger than New Jersey's.
Total area
- New Jersey: 8,719 square miles (22,583 km²) vs South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Dakota's total area is 8.8 times (784%) larger than New Jersey's.
Length
- New Jersey is 169 miles (271 km) long from north to south; South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km).
- South Dakota's north-south length is 2.6 times (162%) longer than New Jersey's.
Width
- New Jersey spans 129 miles (207 km) east to west; South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 2.9 times (188%) wider than New Jersey's.
Highest point
- New Jersey's highest point is High Point at 1,798 feet (548 m); South Dakota's is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m).
- Black Elk Peak is 5,400 feet higher than High Point.
Lowest point
- New Jersey's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; South Dakota's is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet.
- New Jersey's lowest point is 966 feet lower.
New Jersey vs South Dakota Population and History
Population
- New Jersey has a population of 9,500,851 (2024), while South Dakota has 924,669 (2024).
- New Jersey's population is 10.3 times larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- New Jersey: 1,291.8 people per square mile vs South Dakota: 12.2.
- New Jersey's population density is 105.9 times higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- New Jersey's biggest city is Newark with 317,303 people; South Dakota's is Sioux Falls with 209,289.
- Newark's population is 1.5 times (52%) larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area
- New Jersey's largest metropolitan area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274 people) vs South Dakota's Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266).
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 64.7 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- New Jersey: Admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787, as the 3rd state.
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- In its current form, New Jersey is the older of the two by 102 years.
New Jersey vs South Dakota Economy
GDP
- New Jersey's GDP is $846.0 billion (2024) vs South Dakota's $76.8 billion.
- New Jersey's economic output is 11.0 times larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- New Jersey: $89,045 per person vs South Dakota: $83,052.
- New Jersey's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (7%) higher than South Dakota's.
Average income
- New Jersey: $84,893 vs South Dakota: $75,699 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- New Jersey's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than South Dakota's.
New Jersey vs South Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- New Jersey has 21 counties, while South Dakota has 66.
- South Dakota's county count is 3.1 times (214%) higher than New Jersey's.
Biggest county by area
- New Jersey's largest county is Burlington County at 799 square miles; South Dakota's is Meade County at 3,471 square miles.
- Meade County's land area is 4.3 times (334%) larger than Burlington County's.
Smallest county by area
- New Jersey: Hudson County (46 sq mi) vs South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 8.9 times (792%) larger than Hudson County's.
Most populous county
- New Jersey: Bergen County (978,641 people) vs South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people).
- Bergen County's population is 4.7 times (369%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- New Jersey: Salem County (65,874 people) vs South Dakota: Jones County (874 people).
- Salem County's population is 75.4 times larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- New Jersey: Somerset County ($121,042 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Union County ($146,712).
- Union County's income is 1.2 times (21%) richer than Somerset County's.
Poorest county
- New Jersey: Cumberland County ($50,843 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778).
- Cumberland County's income is 1.6 times (55%) richer than Ziebach County's.
New Jersey vs South Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- New Jersey has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while South Dakota has no state income tax.
- New Jersey's top rate is 10.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- New Jersey: 1.89% effective rate vs South Dakota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- New Jersey's rate is 0.87 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- New Jersey: 6.6% combined state and average local rate vs South Dakota: 6.11%.
- New Jersey's combined rate is 0.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
New Jersey official website · South Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All New Jersey size comparisons · All South Dakota size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.